Pot Bearing

Principles of a Pot Bearing

Pot-type bridge bearings – fixed or sliding – can accommodate rotations of up to 0.040 radians in any direction and can be designed to accommodate any horizontal load or displacement. A pot bearing consists of a shallow/hollow steel cylinder, or pot, with an elastomeric disc, slightly shorter than the steel cylinder, fitted snugly inside. A steel disc, or piston, fits inside the steel cylinder and bears on the elastomeric disc. Flat brass sealing rings are used to contain the elastomer inside the pot. The elastomer behaves like a viscous fluid flowing within the pot as rotation occurs.

Design and Detailing

The advanced design of D.S. TechStar pot bearings is based on the latest developments in bearing engineering and is accomplished with the help of finite element analysis. D.S. TechStar pot bearings can be designed in accordance with AASHTO Allowable Stress Design, Load Reduction Factor Design (LRFD), BS 5400, DIN standards, or to the
Japanese Code (JIS). The detailing of the shop drawings for D.S. TechStar pot bearings is performed on a modern Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) system that enables the adaptation of pot bearings to fit almost any combination of loads, movements, and rotations. Special dimensional conditions can also be satisfied.